Good morning friends.

I can't believe today is June 1st. For most people the date signifies the beginning of summer even though the calendar says that doesn't happen for another 20 days. But for those of us living in South Florida or anywhere else in the coastal south, it's the official start of--OMG--hurricane season.

Yep! It's time to inspect those shutters, pack in supplies, fill 5 gallon jerrycans with gas for the generator, and watch the National Weather Service with an almost religious fervor.

The shutters are no problem since most of our windows are standard size, but we check them anyway. I have a friend who moved into her partially renovated house in 2003. During the summer of 2004, all hell broke loose in the Sunshine State with 4 hurricanes in 8 weeks. Imagine my friend's consternation when she and her hubby went to mount the shutters only to find them labeled by the previous owner, "Johnny's room, Sissy's room, office." An operation that should have taken a couple of hours, sucked up 6.

Now, let's assume Tropical Storm Bozo has just blown up to hurrican status and is heading straight for me. Naturally, I keep a close eye on the TV for updates. This isn't hard. All local stations immediately switch to all-hurricane-all-the-time if that cone of death is anywhere close to SoFla shores. It is now time to race for the grocery store.

Ah, the joy of hurricane supply shopping. Water, canned goods, batteries, flashlights, candles, and paper products all being snatched and grabbed by frenzied shoppers who are in full panic mode. I once watched an argument break out between three women over the last can of deviled ham. Luckily, I hate deviled ham and grabbed the last four pack of tuna from under their noses and ran.

Any smart hurricane survivor and generator owner knows to fill those gas cans and store them outside until needed. However, the last chore on the to-do list is fill the gas tank of your car. This is the true nightmare--waiting in a long line of frustrated, pissed off, aggressive drivers fresh off I-95 who will top off their tanks in case they decided at the last minute to evacuate to Orlando, which, this being Florida, will probably get nailed by Bozo anyway.

So, this is what to expect from June 1-November 30. Just another day in Paradise. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must run to the store for another couple of cases of wine. Water is more practical, but wine is definitely more fun.

Have a good day!

Suzanne